Fourth Sunday of Advent Cycle C December 19, 2021

 Fourth Sunday of Advent Cycle C   December 19, 2021

So image you are sitting at home, minding your own business, as I assume you always do, when you get a phone call.  And the person calling  claims to be an agent for Adelle, or Samuel L. Jackson, and that this famous personage wants to come and visit you.  When are you home?

Assuming you are not like me and respond, “who?   Never heard of them”, but that you actually know who Adelle and Samuel L Jackson are, how would you feel?  You probably would be in disbelief.  Another scam?   But once you became convinced that this was not some trick, nor a publicity stunt, but that this famous person really wants to visit you, and specifically you, how would you feel?      //

Probably pretty excited, amazed and elated.  Wouldn’t you?  Who am I that Adelle wants to see me?  Who am I that Samuel L. Jackson wants to visit with me?

That is what we see happening in our Gospel today to old Elizabeth.  Elizabeth, with holy wisdom, sees very clearly beyond the surface appearances to what is really happening.  She states: “How does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”

It is, after all, one thing for a popular entertainer to want to come visit you, but really another thing all together that the Mother of God wants to come and visit you.   As fantastic as a visit from Adelle or Samuel L Jackson would be, a visit with Mary, the Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, would be in an all-together different class. 

And yet, we have that opportunity in prayer.  All we have to do is open our hearts and our minds to prayer, and we can be present to Mary in the “Hail, Mary”.  The Rosary is a visit with Mary.    //

Elizabeth goes on to state something very important.  “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.” 

While Elizabeth speaks this specifically to Mary, I believe that Elizabeth is really annunciating a general spiritual principal.  “Blessed are you who believe that what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled.”   Blessed are you, everyone of us here, who believe.  Who believe that what Jesus spoke to us will be fulfilled.  That Jesus will save us from our sins, from eternal death, from a meaningless, pointless life, and save us for the fullness of beauty, of truth, of love, of eternal life.  Blessed are you who believe that was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled.

Christmas is around the corner.  We celebrate the coming to earth of the Christ Child.  Not a movie star nor and entertainer, but the Savior, the very Son of God, comes to us, and it is fantastic, mind blowing.  Jesus comes to us, and it is wonderful.  Truly, we are blessed!

Come, Lord Jesus!